Verstappen ends the season with the most poles of the year, McLaren see both drivers reach Q3 at every race for the first time since 2007 and Bortoleto records Sauber’s best Abu Dhabi qualifying result since 2013. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!
VERSTAPPEN ON POLE AT THE 2025 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
Max Verstappen took pole position for the title-deciding 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, recording his eighth pole of the year. He finishes the season as the driver with the most pole positions, one ahead of Lando Norris.
This was Verstappen’s fifth pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, equalling Lewis Hamilton for the most pole positions at the event. It was his fifth pole at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the last six years.
Yas Marina Circuit equals the Red Bull Ring as the circuit at which Verstappen has taken the most pole positions to date in his career.
Verstappen recorded his 48th pole position – and the 48th pole position overall for the Netherlands. The nation ties Italy for sixth on the list of most poles for a country in Formula 1.
For the first time since 2020, Max Verstappen was not out-qualified by his team-mate in any Grand Prix qualifying session in 2025.
This was Red Bull’s eighth pole position at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, extending their record as the team with the most poles at Yas Marina Circuit.
IN THE TOP TEN
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri reached Q3 at every Grand Prix in 2025. It makes 2025 the first time since 2007 that both McLaren drivers reached Q3 at every race in a season. McLaren are the first team to see both drivers in Q3 at every race since Mercedes in 2021.
Norris and Piastri continued their record of reaching Q3 on every appearance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar joined the club, of which Felipe Massa, Nico Robserg and Mark Webber are the only other members
Norris qualified second for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, qualifying on the front row at the event for the second year in a row.
Piastri continued his record of qualifying in the top three on all three of his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix appearances.
Qualifying fourth, George Russell equalled his best Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying result to date.
This was the third race weekend in a row that Russell qualified fourth.
With sixth place in qualifying for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso qualified in the top six at Yas Marina Circuit for the first time since 2012.
Alonso out-qualified his team-mate at every race in a single season for the first time since 2018.
Alonso recorded the best qualifying result for the Silverstone-based team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since Sergio Perez qualified fourth for Force India in 2015.
Gabriel Bortoleto reached Q3 for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix. Qualifying seventh, he equalled his best qualifying result of the season. He also qualified seventh for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
This was the first time since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that Bortoleto out-qualified Sauber team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.
Bortoleto recorded Sauber’s best qualifying result at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since Nico Hulkenberg qualified fifth in 2013.
Esteban Ocon qualified eighth for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, equalling his best qualifying result of the season. He also qualified eighth at the Monaco Grand Prix which, prior to Abu Dhabi, was the last time he reached Q3.
Ocon equalled his best-ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying result, having also qualified eighth for the race in 2022.
This was the third year in a row that a Haas driver reached Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, having recorded only one Q3 appearance in their seven appearances prior to 2023.
With ninth place, Isack Hadjar reached Q3 for a fifth consecutive race weekend.
Yuki Tsunoda qualified tenth for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull therefore recorded their first double Q3 appearance since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
ELIMINATED IN Q2
With Carlos Sainz qualifying 12th for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Alex Albon out in Q1, 2017 remains the last time that a Williams driver reached Q3 in Abu Dhabi.
Kimi Antonelli was out in Q2, qualifying 14th for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was the third year in a row that a Mercedes driver missed out on Q3 at Yas Marina Circuit.
Lance Stroll exited in Q2 at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, setting the 15th fastest lap time. Stroll set a new record for the most Q2 exits at Yas Marina Circuit, overtaking Sergio Perez.
2020 remains the only time that Stroll has reached Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was his worst qualifying result at Yas Marina Circuit since 2018.
OUT IN Q1
Lewis Hamilton was out in Q1 at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, qualifying 16th. This was his third successive Q1 elimination, equalling the longest streak of Q1 exits in his career recorded at the 2009 Monaco, Turkish and British Grands Prix.
As well as being his longest streak of Q1 exits, Hamilton equalled his longest streak without a Q3 appearance. The only other time he has missed out on Q3 at four successive events was between the 2009 Spanish and British Grands Prix.
Hamilton became the first Ferrari driver to record three successive Q1 eliminations since the knockout system was introduced in 2006.
This was the second year in a row that Hamilton exited in Q1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the third year in a row that he failed to progress to Q3. Prior to 2023, Hamilton had a 100% Q3 appearance rate at Yas Marina Circuit.
This is the first time since the 2010 season that Ferrari have failed to record a double Q3 appearance at four races in a row.
Pierre Gasly qualified 19th for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, recording a fourth Q1 exit at Yas Marina Circuit. He equalled Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen for the most Q1 eliminations at the track.
Gasly’s Q1 exit ended a streak of three successive Q3 appearances for the Alpine driver. With Franco Colapinto also out in Q1, the team recorded their first double Q1 elimination since the Mexico City Grand Prix.
This was the third time in the last five races that Colapinto qualified last. It was his sixth back row qualification of the year – five of which have seen him set the slowest lap time in Q1.
Gasly recorded his fifth back row qualification of the season – his first since the Singapore Grand Prix.
This was the first time that the Enstone-based team recorded a double Q1 elimination at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2014.
Alex Albon was eliminated in Q1, failing to reach Q3 for an 11th successive race weekend. This was his sixth Q1 exit in that period.
This was the third time in the last four years that Albon exited in Q1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg qualified 18th for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, recording his first Q1 exit since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
This was Hulkenberg’s first-ever Q1 exit in his 12 appearances at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Of his appearances here, this was the first time since 2014 that he failed to reach Q3.